As the influence of behavioural economics has grown, companies have increasingly been adopting “nudges” to influence how users of their products or services make choices. But nudges – changes in how choices are presented or set up to influence people to select specific ones – can have troubling consequences. Therefore, organisations need to look critically at how they nudge users to understand whether they are truly acting in their best interests.

Drawing from a landmark report to guide the conduct of biomedical and behavioural research involving human subjects, a new article recently published in the Harvard Business Review demonstrates the prerequisites and principles under which organisations may design ethical nudges.